This invention relates generally to the processes, techniques or devices used to generate electrolytic reactions and/or solutions. More specifically, the invention pertains to those processes, techniques or devices involving passive electrolytic reactions, and are used to alter the dispersement of a conductive fluid in which a reaction takes place.
Fluids are often discharged from canisters in the form of a spray or mist, which may be defined as a liquid moving in a mass of dispersed droplets. The fluid is usually contained in a pressurized container that has an opening through which the fluid is discharged from the canister. As the fluid travels from the canister having a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure to ambient atmospheric conditions, the fluid dramatically expands. In some cases the fluid is atomized. That is, the fluid is dispersed into individual droplets.
A variety of systems exist for atomizing fluids. A spray canister may be equipped with a nozzle having an orifice through which the fluid is discharged from the canister. The fluid is treated, either through some mechanical, chemical or electrical means upstream from the nozzle, or adjacent the nozzle orifice.
For example, the fluid may be subjected to a pressurized gas, such as air, in an atomizing chamber, before the fluid is discharged through one or more orifices. Paint-spraying mechanisms impart an electrostatic charge to the paint causing the paint to disperse from a canister in an atomized spray form consisting of similarly charged paint particles. Mechanical devises such as rotating discs, atomizing bulbs or metallic baffles are also used to atomize fluids.
The extent of atomization depends on the amount of pressure under which the fluid is contained, the density of the fluid and the method of discharge or atomization. In many cases, atomizing and discharging the fluid in smaller droplets achieve higher spray efficiency. A spray with smaller, and more droplets, covers a larger surface area covered by the spray; the smaller droplets travel farther than larger droplets; the smaller droplets increase the surface area exposed for oxidation or evaporation; and smaller droplets may adhere better to a surface than larger droplets, which have a tendency to agglomerate.
With respect to electrostatically charged fluids, when the fluid is discharged, fluid is dispersed into droplets having similar ionic charges. Thus, the droplets disperse and repel one another into a spray cone. A spray cone is an area, volume and shape of a spray mist through which fluid droplets accelerate or move, in the same direction relative to one another. Prior to entering the cone, the fluid is in a condensed form. Once the fluid is released from an emission system and atomized into droplets, the fluid droplets accelerate from a point of atomization at a spray nozzle, or orifice, through the spray cone. Eventually the spray cone will dissipate. The droplets stop accelerating or moving, and begin to concentrate at that instant the spray cone dissipates.
An emission control system attempts to optimize a spray cone density in order to maintain the spray cone for an optimal distance and time. In addition, an optimal spray density is desirable to generate the maximum number of droplets moving within a spray cone. Optimal spray cone density can be defined as the number of fluid droplets within a preselected volume of the spray cone. A dilute spray cone is a cone in which the fluid droplets are not touching and yet still accelerating through the spray cone. A concentrated spray cone is one in which droplets agglomerate, and fewer and larger droplets are accelerating through the spray cone.
Electrostatically induced fluids oftentimes are xe2x80x9coverchargedxe2x80x9d or too much voltage and current are applied to the fluid. If too much voltage is applied, then the charge (or bias) in the fluid, or individual droplets, is discharged and the fluid is not ionized; or if the fluid is dispersed, then the fluid condenses prematurely, and the fluid does not achieve an optimal spray cloud density. This is known as the Rayleigh Limit: A droplet of known radius and density will discharge when it reaches this limit. If an insufficient amount of voltage or current is applied, then the fluid will not effectively ionize, and a concentrated spray cone is produced.
An emission control system attempts to optimize a spray cone density in order to maintain the spray cone for an optimal distance and time. In addition, an optimal spray density is desirable to generate the maximum number of droplets moving within a spray cone. Thus, in order to achieve the optimal spray cones density, one must achieve an optimal acceleration of the fluid droplets within the spray cone, and an optimum radius reduction of the droplets where the optimum reduced radius is the smallest droplet radius that contains the smallest number of cohesive molecules of a conductive fluid. These factors are known by those skilled in the art for various fluids such as diesel fuel, which droplets have a 5 to 6 micron radius containing approximately 500-600 molecules; or gasoline droplets having a radius of 2.5 to 3.0 microns contain up to 300 molecules.
However, a need exists for a method and/or apparatus that induces a target voltage or current in a conductive fluid, at target current an optimum droplet acceleration and an optimum droplet radius reduction are achieved for effective atomization of the conductive fluid at the target current.
The present invention provides a means for inducing atomization of a liquid that is applicable to a variety of fluid spray media such as pesticides, paint, cosmetics or fuel. More specifically, the present invention biases a conductive fluid by passive electrolytic ionization. This reaction may also be referred to as an oxidation-reduction reaction, where oxidation takes place at a cathode and reduction takes place at the anode, as known to those skilled in the art. A conductive fluid is introduced into a reaction chamber in which an electrolytic reaction takes place. An anode and cathode are disposed within the reaction chamber. An ion-generation member is secured within the chamber to enhance the charge in the conductive fluid, and an oxidation control member is also disposed in the reaction chamber to inhibit oxidation of the anode and the cathode. In addition, a magnet is preferably mounted within the reaction chamber adjacent an outlet portal of the reaction chamber to generate a magnetic field adjacent the outlet portal of the reaction chamber and maintain the electrolytic reaction within the reaction chamber.
As fluid is discharged from the system, the elecrolytically charged fluid is dispersed into negatively charged droplets. The negatively charged ions repel one another, generating small fluid droplets, which result in a finer, less dense mist. In addition, the droplets have a greater acceleration from the point of spray atomization due to the repulsion of the like-charged droplets.
The electrolytic reaction within the reaction chamber and conductive fluid is maintained at an Average Current (Ac) which is defined as the power (P) needed to charge a fluid droplet of a known density divided by an initial spray cloud (cone) voltage (V0). These calculations incorporate two constants, which are necessary to determine an Ac for a fluid of a known density. The first constant is the fraction of the instant of droplet combustion (Fc) measured in coulombs, during which a droplet in a spray cones expansion ceases, and has been calculated as xc2xd(1.036xc3x9710xe2x88x9218). The second constant is the ratio between the evaporation instant of a spray cone and the time of evaporation of a conductive fluid of a known density, or J0/2, which is xc2xd(0.74)⅓. The calculation of the Ac is explained in more detail below. In this manner, the equivalent weights of selected metals for the electrolytic reaction are determined for a specific range of conductive fluid densities.